The Leaflet Vallarta Botanical Gardens AC February 2012 Curator’s Corner Volume 2, No. 2 Content: Dear Friends of the Gardens, Have you noticed our new logo? We chose the Tillandsia Curator’s Corner 1 jaliscomonticola to be our ambassador plant for several 6th.Annual Gala reasons. Endemic to just our state of Jalisco, Mexico, the Noche 2 bromeliad is found abundantly in forests all around the de las Luminarias Gardens. (Its name attests to the fact that it is a moun- The Philippine Jade tain lover, and of course much 3 Vine of the Gardens’ appeal is their lovely mountainous set- Volunteer Docent ting.) Specifically adapted and suited to the tropical Training Day Jan. 4 dry forests of our region, this plant thrives during the 2012 summer rains and survives the winter dry season with Tropical Gardening strategies such as the ability to utilize moisture from 5 Q & A mountain dews. Although the small purple humming- bird pollinated flowers are visible only seasonally, the Children of Cruz de Huanacaxtle 6 large red- to yellow-tinted bracts around them remain a showy feature of this distinctive beauty throughout Upcoming Events 7 the year, making it a continual source of pleasure. We thank Claudia Lovera of Mata Ortiz Gallery for her gen- Mission Statement 8 erous donation of the rendering of this logo. For more information on Tillandsias of the area, please see Andy Siekkinen’s article in the December 2011 issue of The Leaflet, which is available on our website. We at the Gardens delight in sharing Mexico´s fascinating botanical treasures with visitors. The Vallarta Botanical Gardens’ family of members and supporters has been steadily growing to form the backbone of this not-for-profit organiza- tion. This Tuesday, February 7, we acknowledge that support by hosting our an- nual membership appreciation night, Noche de las Luminarias. We hope you will join us for this special evening, whether for the first time or by returning again to this not-to-be-missed Vallarta winter tradition. Please take the time to read further about the details of this event in this Leaflet or on the Facebook page we have especially dedicated to our fabulous annual gala, Noche de las Luminarias. Upcoming in March will be another of our especially popular Gardens events: the Vallarta Flower and Garden Show (March 25 to 31). We have already booked several speakers for classes and demonstrations, but are still accepting applicants. Please e-mail Executive Director David Sincavage at [email protected] to be considered as a speaker or to represent your flower- or garden-related business at this event. As before, the Vallarta Flower and Gar- den Show coincides with the beginning of our seasonal wildflower display. That, along with this year’s extensive planting by Gardens staff and volunteers led by Washington State horticulturist Ken Plant, guarantees the Gardens’ most stun- ning show thus far. Also this year will be the first annual Puerto Vallarta Interna- tional Birding Festival, read on to learn more. Despite sensationalist media reports to the contrary, Mexico remains a safe and beautiful country to visit. To those of you in Puerto Vallarta, please come up and visit us soon; to those of you in other places, please keep Mexico in your hearts. Bob Price Curator & Founder “Give me odorous at sunrise a garden of beautiful flowers where I can walk un- disturbed.” —Walt Whitman 6th. Annual Gala Noche de las Luminarias Tuesday, February 7, from 5:30 to 10 pm The time has finally come…enchantment in the jungle, under the full moon, as the World Famous Vallarta Botanical Gardens presents an evening of candle- light, and splendor. It’s exclusively for our members…only 2012 members of the gardens are invited to attend this musical event. Last year over 350 attended. Need to renew or join? Why not do so right now by going to our membership page, click here. Your PayPal receipt will give you the green light into the fiesta. We’ll have your membership card awaiting at the gate. For just 710 Pesos for an individual, 1,200 pesos for a couple, or 960 pesos for a senior couple, you will have not only this grand evening, but a full year to enjoy all of the perks of membership in the gardens. Or, renew the night of the event, either when your exclusive members-only coach picks you up, or at the garden gate. Let the fiesta begin! From the minute you walk through the garden gate, the celebration begins. Drinks will immediately be at hand, the music will begin, and the tantalizing buffet will be awaiting you in the magnificent Hacienda del Oro. Guided walking tours of the gardens will be available throughout the early evening. Exciting raffle drawings will take place every few minutes throughout the eve- ning, featuring fine wines and other surprises. Here are just a few tempting items from this year’s silent auction: A private chauffeured tour to the gardens with dinner for twelve, hosted by the curator! Fine Jewelry, PV’s best Restaurants, Exotic Excursions, Fine Art, Deluxe Spa Packages! Vacation Getaways in PV and beyond - Villas, Condominiums (did we tell you that we have one 3-bedroom 3-bath condo with an opening bid of just 2000 pesos, and it’s for 7 nights?)! Aye caramba!! Deluxe motor coach transportation is included to and from the event from Lazaro Cardenas Plaza in Old Town, Puerto Vallarta, leaving every few minutes from approximately 4:45 until 5:45. Parking is extremely limited, so why not take the bus! Dress is smart casual and a light jacket or sweater is always rec- ommended at our altitude. Just a few of our generous donors for this year’s gala include: El Cielito in Villa Del Mar, El Tigre Golf, Teatro Limon, Artepil Spa, El Nogalito Restaurant and Preserve, Hacienda San Angel, Timothy Real Estate Group, Daiquiri Dick’s, My Own Concierge Zipline, Karin Lehnerts Fine Gardening, Artist Dudley Douglas, Peyote People, Ron Morgan Properties, Roberto Flores Diaz Olas Altas, P&P Boutique, Dr. Paco Rincon, Condominios El Dorado, Alexander A Salon, Cas- sandra Shaw, Create Interiors, and more *Attention, the garden will close at 3PM for non-members! Thanks for under- standing. “It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environ- ment.” —Ansel Adams Phillipine Jade Vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys) This woody vine is a leguminous perennial native to tropical forests of the Phi- lippines. The plant can grow stems up to 18 meters in length; as a member of the Fabaceae family, it is related to runner beans as well as the common kidney bean. Its normally pale green leaves grow in sets of three, year-round, but the real show starts when the green clim- ber begins to flower. The clawlike flowers dan- gle from the stem on what are termed pseudo- racemes. One pendent string can be 3 meters long, supporting more than 75 flowers! The flowers’ color is similar to that of the mineral jade—hence the common name. In its native habitat this moisture-loving plant grows beside streams, in ravines and in damp forests. The flower is shaped like a stout- bodied butterfly, an evolutionary modification intended to attract a species of bat that can hang upside down to drink the nec- tar while it pollinates. Although bats are the flowers’ main pollinator, the blo- oms are also serviced by certain wasps and butterflies. As the Vine is now in full bloom, don’t fail to swing by the Gardens to see this botanical marvel in its full splendor! “All my life I have tried to pluck a thistle and plant a flower wherever the flower would grow in thought and mind.” —Abraham Lincoln Volunteer Docent Program January 2012 On January 20, a group of volunteers held a Docent Training Day at the Gar- dens. If you are unfamiliar with this program, volunteer docents at the Vallarta Botanical Gardens conduct a daily 1 pm tour attended by many different visitors, from students and children to adults inte- rested in plants of this region of Mexico. On this daily docent-led tour, which be- gins in The Hall of Flowers, your guide will provide interesting information about the Gardens, beginning with the history of its founding by Bob and Betty Price and its mission. You’ll also learn about the biome in which the Gardens are nestled, how the jungle and its plants collaborate to survive and about the various uses of native Mexican plants on display, such as vanilla and chocolate. The tour takes about half an hour and includes an opportunity to question our experts further about the topics covered. This January we welcomed a great new group of docents, but we are always looking for more! Our next Docent Training Day will be in April. If you are inte- rested in becoming a docent volunteer or a general volunteer, please contact the Gardens’ Executive Director, David Sincavage, at [email protected]. “As I grew up I was fervently desirous of becoming acquainted with nature.” —John James Audubon Tropical Gardening Q & A I just returned for the season and found that my patio garden needed an over- haul; where should I begin? Tips for Snowbird Container Gardens (Part 2): • Carefully inspect all oversummered plants that you think worth keeping for evidence of pests and disease. (Use a magnifying glass, if you have to.) The sum- mer months typically leave fungal diseases in their wake, often in the form of fuzzy white stuff. You can buy fungicide, but a careful wash with diluted dish soap, well rinsed off afterward, should be sufficient.